With Miro Heiskanen out long term, the Dallas Stars’ defensemen are having to step up their game. That means depth players getting a lot more playing time than they’re used to, such as Jani Hakanpaa taking over as Ryan Suter’s partner:
“It’s been fun,” Hakanpaa said. “It’s a lot of fun playing with [Ryan]. He’s a great player and I’m just trying to learn from him. He’s been around the business for a long time.”
Thomas Harley and Joel Hanley are also helping to fill the void, and Andrej Sekera will too once he’s back off IR.